Process of treating textile fibers and in the product resulting therefrom



Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH CURRY MODOWELLLOE 1,558,104 PATENT OFFICE.

MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

rnocnss or rnna'rxne TEXTILE FIBERS AND IN THE PRODUCT nnsunrme 'rmnm- FROM.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may cb'rwern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn CURRY Mo- DownLL, a subject of'the King of Great Britain, residing in the city of Manchester, New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Processes of 'lreating Textie Fibers and in Products Resulting Therefrom, which improvements are especially applicable to the bleaching of cotton or linen or mixed cotton and linen piece goods having colored stripes or areas in the warp or in the filling or in both, as, for example, towelings, of which the body is a cotton or linen fabric in the gray, but which has a colored border. 3

My invention is particularly valuable in the treatment of such goods preliminary to and preparatory for the bleaching operation proper. The treatment is itself novel, and results in a product having novel and useful qualities and characteristics.

It has been heretofore regarded as impracticable to bleach these partly colored goods by the sameiiietliods which "are used in bleaching so-called gray goods, because of the deleterious effect which these methods have on the colored portions of the goods,

- and more difiic'ult and expensive operations have been therefore resorted to for bleaching such goods.

It is a principal purpose of my invention to enable such partly colored goods to be bleached by the same general methods now in use for bleaching gray goods.

The invention is particularly applicable to the bleaching of goods in which the colored portions are dyed with so-called vat colors. v

In bleaching cotton or linen gray goods, it is the customary practice, as a preliminary to the bleaching process proper, to subject the goods to what is called a pressure keir boil, that is to say, to put them in a closed keir and subject them to the action of steam at pressures in excess of atmospheric, usually in the presence of caustic 'soda, the purpose of this treatment being to remove from the goods oily, fatty and pectic matters and other impurities which would interfere with the effectiveness of the-subse uent bleaching process proper.

eretofore it has been, regarded as impracticable to subject goods containing colored yarns to a ressure keir boil treatment, for the reason t at such treatment has been Application filed May 8, 1922.

found to produce the efiect of causing the colors to bleed or mark ofi'i Because of the impossibility of using a pressure keir boil for this class of goods, other much less satisfactory methods of preliminary treatment have been employed,- for example, scalding the goods in an open keir, or running them through a slack washer or jigger. All such methods known to me have proved inefficient and unsatisfactory to prepare the goods for the subsequent bleaching process, and it has therefore been necessary in the subsequent bleaching operation proper, in order to get a satisfactory bleach, to subject the goods to chlorine in excessive strength or for an excessive length of time, to the detriment of the quality of the goods, -since such excessive chlorine treatment reduces their tensile strength. The practical result has therefore been that such partly colored goods now on the market are found to have far less tensile strength and therefore far less durability than white goods made from the same quality of yarn. So Well recognized is this defect in present processes of bleaching partly colored goods that some bleachers. do away with the use of chlorine in bleaching such goods, substituting therefor the very expensive chemical sodium peroxide.

I have discovered a method by which I am enabled to treat these partly colored' goods, especially those containing yarns dyed with vat colors, by the same pressure keir boil treatment which is in use for bleaching gray goods, and yet prevent the colors from bleeding or marking ofi. I am therefore enabled to use in the bleachin operations proper the same treatment whic would be used for ordinary gray goods, and thus to avoid the deleterious effects of treatment with excessive clorine and also to save much time, apparatus and labor.

Furthermore, by the use of my process I obtain the very important additional ad- 1 vantage that I render certain colors which are normally sensitive to chlorine, nonsensitive to chlorine, at least to such extent that they are not materially afiected by the chlorine used in the subsequent bleaching 105 processes as usually conducted, nor in ordinary laundering processes thereaften It is well known that certain vat colors are aifected by exposure to chlorine, as, for in stance, nd nt rene blues, which are turned 110 a greenish shade; and it is therefore necessary for bleachers to restore or spring such a color back, after the bleaching operation has been finished, which is usually done by subjecting the goods to treatment with hydrosulphiteof soda. By my process I make all such steps unnecessary, and furthermore render the goods substantially fast against changes in color which might otherwise be caused by exposure to chlorine in ordinary processes of laundering when the goods are in use. The hydrosulphite or other analogous treatments now in use involve the use of ex ensive chemicals, and are, moreover, accor' ing to my experience, no protection to the color from changes caused by chlorine incident to subsequent laundering operations.

I have discovered that if yarns dyed with vat colors, as for example indanthrene colors, or fabric containing the same are subjected to a pressure boil in the presence of sodium silicate, the colors will not bleed or run, and are, moveover, thereby rendered substantially insensitive to chlorine; and upon this discovery my invention is based.

In proceeding in accordance with my invention, I place the partly colored goods to be bleached in an ordinary pressure kier. I then take sodium silicate in quantity equal to about three per cent of the weight of the goods to be treated, dissolve it in water, and pour it into the keir, together with sodium carbonate in quantity equal to about twopencent of the weight of the goods to be treated, the sodium carbonate also having been first dissolved in water. I then fill the keir with water to a level .sufiicient to submerge or nearly .to submerge the goods.

The keir is now closed and steam admitted in the usual manner until a pressure is built up in the keir of preferably about fifteen pounds per square inch, and the goods are raised to a temperature of about 250 F. Internal circulation of the liquor containing the chemicals in the keir through the goods takes place due to the admission of t e steam, as in an ordinary pressure keir boil, or forced circulation may be brought about byulse of a pump or other means.

The pressure and the temperaturemay be varied according to circumstances, but it is important that a temperature exceeding 212 F. be reached. It is also im rtant that circulation of the liquor. in. t e keir through the goods be effected during the operation in order to insure thorough meation of all parts of the goods with the liquor.

Other alkalis 'or detergents, such as certain oils or soa s, might be substituted for the sodium car onate, or used in addition thereto. a a

per-

I preferably continue the pressure keir boil for about six to ten hours.

Upon removing the goods from the keir,

vor in a spray'-tank,.or immersed in a chemic solution, in each of these treatments the goods being subjected to chlorine in ordinary manner.

If these goods had been bleached by any previous process known to me, it would now be necessary, if the colors used included blues sensitive to chlorine, to subject them to a further treatment with sodium hydrosulphite for the purpose of springin back this color, which the chlorine woul have changed to a green. By my process any such further treatment is made unnecessary, and the goods are now ready for the usual finishing treatment.

This process has been practiced by me with great success on goods containing yarns dyed with indanthrene blue G. C. D.,

indanthrene pink, indanthrene gold, indanthrene yellow, indanthrene purple, ponsol blue G. D. and anthrene blue G. C. D. I have thus provided a process by which goods containing yarns dyed with colors may be bleached by the same general methods as gray goods, and which is greatly superior to any previous process known to me for bleaching partly colored goods, not only in the saving of time, labor and expense, but also in preserving the quality and strength of the goods and in rendering the colors substantially fast againstchlorine.

Instead of subjecting partly colored goods in the piece to the pressure boil. in a medium containing sodium silicate, my invention may be applied to the treatment of the colored yarns which are to go into goods to be bleached, or indeed to fibers dyed in the raw, that is to say, .the colored yarns or the colored fibers may themselves be boiled in appropriate apparatus under conditions similar tothose above set forth for a treatment of the piece goods in water'containing sodium silicate.

My theory of the action of the sodium silicate in the process is that this substance becomes hydrolyzed, the sodium component becoming caustic soda and the silica separating therefrom and being adsorbed in dehydrated condition upon the fibers so as to cover them with a thin film, or at least to seal the mouths of the minute pores in the fibers into which the dye-stuff has entered which has the effect of holding the dye-stufi lti not treated by this process.

in the fiber and preventing its being washed off by the effect of the boiling alkaline solution. 5

Analysis of cloth treated in accordance with the foregoing process demonstrates the fact that silica is present therein in amounts which, while. minute, are nevertheless rela: tively much larger than in. the same goods The ashes of goods treated in accordance withthe foregoing process upon analysis have been found to contain percentages of silica varying from aboutfour or five percent to as much as fifteen per cent or more, whereas the silica natural to any untreated cotton or linen goods with the analysis of which I am familiar shows in all cases less'than two per cent of silica in the ash. I Of course the amount of ash yielded by different kinds of fibers varies quite widely.

it will be understood that many variations may be made in the treatment above set forth Without departing from the spirit of my invention,in the matter, for example, of proportions of ingredients, time. of treatment, temperatures, pressures and apparatus. Moreover, for sodium silicate -might be substituted any other material having like qualities, that is to say, having the property of forming on the fibers a protective film or coating of such a nature as to prevent the colors from bleeding or marking off.

While I prefer, as above stated, to treat the goods with the sodium silicate at a temperature above boiling, similar results may be obtained by treating, goods with sodium silicate at temperatures below boiling and then souring with acetic or other suitable acid, the effect of this variation in the process being, as in the preferred application of the process, to cause the deposit on the surface of the fibers of a protective film or coating of silica, which would have the effect of rendering the colors more fast.

This method of procedure is particularly applicable to.the treatment of goods such as ginghams orjother colored goods which are not subjected to bleaching operations in the piece, and has the efi'ect of rendering the colors of such goods more fast. This meth- 0d of procedure also may be employed on dyed yarns or fibers which are not to be subjected to any keir boiling treatment, since it will have the effect of making the colors in such yarns or fibers more fast, and if.

they include colors which are sensitive to chlorine will render them substantially nonsensitive to chlorine in any treatment to which they may be thereafter subjected.

My process may also be used as a means of depositing upon the fibers a protective film or coating of silica which would act as a resist to prevent or reduce the penetration of the fibers by dye-stuffs, and may 'a coating or film of silica which renders their colors more fast. I

It will, of course, be understood that the scope of my invention is in no way depend- V entupon the validity of the theories or explanations above set forth as to the reason for the effects produced.

What I claim as new and desire to se' cure by Letters Patent is 1. The process of treating fibers dyed with colors which consists in depositing thereon a film of silica.

2. The process of treating fibers d ed with colors which consists in causing si ica to be deposited thereon from an aqueous solution of a soluble silicate.

'3. The process of treating fibers dyed with colors which consists in boiling them in a medium containing sodium silicate.

4. The processof treating fibers dyed with colors which consists in boiling them in a medium containing sodium silicate at a temperature of about 250 F.

'5. That step in the process of bleaching consists in boiling the goods in a medium containing sodium silicate.

6. That step in the process of bleaching piece goods containing yarns dyed with vat colors which consists in boiling the goods in the presence of a medium containing sodium silicate, at a temperature of about 250 F.

7. That step in the process of bleachin piece goods'containing dyed yarns which piece goods containing dyed yarns which first boilin the goods in a medium containing so ium silicate, and then subjecting them to the action of chlorine.

11. The process of bleaching piece goods 5 containing dyed yarns which consists in first boiling the goods in a medium containin sodium silicate and sodium Carbonate, an then subjecting them to the action of chlorine.

1 Y 12. The process of bleaching piece goods containing dyed yarns which consists in first boiling the goods at a temperature of about 250 1 in' a medium containing sodium silicate and sodium carbonate, and then sub- 15 jecting them to the action of chlorine.

13. As a new product, dyed textile fibers coated with silica.

14. a new product, dyed cellulose fibers containing an excess of silica beyond that natural'to them.

15. ;.As a new product, dyed textile fibers having a film of silica adsorbed thereon from an aqueous solution.

16. 'As a new product, dyed cellulose fibers containing since to the extent of more than three' per cent of the weight of the ash thereof.

17. As a new product, dyed cellulose, fibers coated with a substance having the JOSEPH oURhY MoDOWELL. 

